Reviews and ramblings about children's and young adult literature by an absentminded middle school librarian. I keep my blog to remember what I've read and to celebrate the wonderful world of children's and young adult literature.

Thursday, December 31, 2015

January (3)1. The Family Romanov by Candace Fleming (1/4)2. All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven (1/13)3. The Eye of Minds by James Dashner (1/23)February (4)4. Delirium by Lauren Oliver (2/6)5. Wild: from lost to found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed (2/14)6. Fairest by Marissa Meyer (2/17)7. The Girl Who Fell Beneath Fairyland and Led the Revels There by Catherynne Valente (2/22)March (4)8. Winger by Andrew Smith (3/1)*9. Fat Boy vs. the Cheerleaders by Geoff Herbach (3/2)10. The Young Elites by Marie Lu (3/7)11. Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver (3/29)April (7)12. The Fourteenth Goldfish by Jennifer L. Holm (4/3)13. The Candymakers by Wendy Mass (4/3)14. The Way to Stay in Destiny by Augusta Scattergood (4/4)15. Paper Towns by John Green (4/9)16. The Madman of Piney Woods by Christopher Paul Curtis (4/18)17. To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han (4/26)18. Requiem by Lauren Oliver (4/30)May (9)19. The Liberation of Gabriel King by K.L. Going (5/2)20. The Contract (5/4)21. Carter's Unfocused One-track Mind by Brent Crawford (5/8)

22. Hit & Miss by Derek Jeter (5/9)23. Princess Academy by Shannon Hale (5/16)*24. Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library by Chris Grabenstein (5/16)25. The Luck of the Buttons by Anne Ylvisaker (5/19)26. Dreamland Social Club by Tara Altebrando (5/23)27. Echo by Pam Munoz Ryan (5/30)*June (5)28. The Unstoppable Octobia May by Sharon Flake (6/8)29. The Boneshaker by Kate Milford (6/12)*30. The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale (6/17)*31.The Girl Who Soared Over Fairyland and Cut the Moon in Two by Catherynne M. Valente (6/1)32. I, Robot by Isaac Asimov (6/23)July (9)33. Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce (7/3)34. Saint Anything by Sarah Dessen (7/9)35. Vango: Between Sky and Earth by Timothée de Fombelle (7/11)36. I am the Messenger by Marcus Zusak (7/12)37. The Truth about Twinkie Pie by Kat Yeh (7/13)38. We are All Made of Molecules by Susin Nielsen (7/16)39. The Whispering Skull by Jonathan Stroud (7/22)*40. Circus Mirandus by Cassie Beasley (7/23)*41. The Julian Chapter by R.J. Palacio (7/25)*August42. The Black Reckoning by John Stephens (8/1)*43. X: a novel by Ilyasah Shabazz and Kekla Magoon (8/6)*44. Stella by Starlight by Sharon M. Draper (8/7)45. Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins (8/14)46. Michael Vey: the prisoner of cell 25 by Richard Paul Evans (8/15)47. Denton Little's Death Date by Lance Rubin (8/17)*48. The Marbury Lens by Andrew Smith (8/22)49. The Curious World of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly (8/24)50. Princess Academy #2: Palace of Stone by Shannon Hale. (8/28)51. Stealing Air by Trent Reedy (8/30)September (6)52. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs (9/5)53. Stonewall by Ann Bausum (9/5)*54. Hollow City by Ransom Riggs (9/17)*55. Lair of Dreams by Libba Bray (9/26)*56. Space Case by Stuart Gibbs (9/26)57. Devoted: 38 extraordinary tales of love, loyalty and life with dogs by Rebecca Ascher-Walsh (9/30)October (7)58. Redeployment by Phil Klay (10/8)59. Jump into the Sky by Shelley Pearsall (10/11)60. The Nest by Kenneth Oppel (10/22)61. Revolution by Deborah Wiles (10/24)62. The Port Chicago 50 by Steve Sheinkin (10/25)63. Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the secret history of the Vietnam War by Steve Sheinkin (10/28)*64. The Madness Underneath by Maureen Johnson (10/31)*November (6)65. Gone Crazy in Alabama by Rita Williams-Garcia (11/8)*66. The Thing about Jellyfish by Ali Benjamin (11/13)67. Crenshaw by Katherine Applegate (11/17)*68. The Library of Souls by Ransom Riggs (11/21)*69. When I was the Greatest by Jason Reynolds (11/22)*70. Challenger Deep by Neal Shusterman (11/29)*December (4)71. The Shepherd's Crown by Terry Pratchett (12/5)*72. The Hollow Boy (Lockwood & Co. #3) (12/12)73. The Sword of Summer by Rick Riordan (12/26)74. Pieces of Why by K. L. Going (12/28)

Wednesday, December 30, 2015

WoW is a weekly meme hosted byBreaking the Spinein which we share the titles we can't wait to release.

The Hidden Oracle (The Trials of Apollo Book 1) by Rick Riordan. Disney Press, May 3, 2016/ 9781484782682.Publisher synopsis:How do you punish an immortal?

By making him human.

After angering his father Zeus, the god Apollo is cast down from Olympus. Weak and disoriented, he lands in New York City as a regular teenage boy. Now, without his godly powers, the four-thousand-year-old deity must learn to survive in the modern world until he can somehow find a way to regain Zeus's favor.

But Apollo has many enemies-gods, monsters, and mortals who would love to see the former Olympian permanently destroyed. Apollo needs help, and he can think of only one place to go . . . an enclave of modern demigods known as Camp Half-Blood.

Tuesday, December 29, 2015

The TTT theme over at Broke and Bookish is Most Anticipated 2016 Releases.Most of these have already been featured in a variety of What's New/ Stacking the Shelves posts. In order of release date:

American Ace by Marilyn Nelson. 122 p. Dial Books/ Penguin Young Readers Group, January 12, 2016. 9780803733053.Publisher synopsis: This riveting novel in verse, perfect for fans of Jacqueline Woodson and Toni Morrison, explores American history and race through the eyes of a teenage boy embracing his newfound identityConnor’s grandmother leaves his dad a letter when she dies, and the letter’s confession shakes their tight-knit Italian-American family: The man who raised Dad is not his birth father.But the only clues to this birth father’s identity are a class ring and a pair of pilot’s wings. And so Connor takes it upon himself to investigate—a pursuit that becomes even more pressing when Dad is hospitalized after a stroke. What Connor discovers will lead him and his father to a new, richer understanding of race, identity, and each other.

Pax by Sara Pennypacker. Illustrated by Jon Klassen. 280 p. Balzer + Bray/ HarperCollins Publisher, February 2, 2016. 9780062377012. Publisher synopsis:From bestselling and award-winning author Sara Pennypacker comes a beautifully wrought, utterly compelling novel about the powerful relationship between a boy and his fox. Pax is destined to become a classic, beloved for generations to come.

Pax and Peter have been inseparable ever since Peter rescued him as a kit. But one day, the unimaginable happens: Peter's dad enlists in the military and makes him return the fox to the wild.

At his grandfather's house, three hundred miles away from home, Peter knows he isn't where he should be—with Pax. He strikes out on his own despite the encroaching war, spurred by love, loyalty, and grief, to be reunited with his fox.

Meanwhile Pax, steadfastly waiting for his boy, embarks on adventures and discoveries of his own. . . .

The Bitter Side of Sweet by Tara Sullivan. 305 p. G.P. Putnam's Sons/ Penguin Young Readers Group, February 23, 2016. 9780399173073.Publisher synopsis:For fans of Linda Sue Park andA Long Way Gone, two young boys must escape a life of slavery in modern-day Ivory Coast

Fifteen-year-old Amadou counts the things that matter. For two years what has mattered are the number of cacao pods he and his younger brother, Seydou, can chop down in a day. This number is very important. The higher the number the safer they are because the bosses won’t beat them. The higher the number the closer they are to paying off their debt and returning home to Moke and Auntie. Maybe. The problem is Amadou doesn’t know how much he and Seydou owe, and the bosses won’t tell him. The boys only wanted to make some money during the dry season to help their impoverished family. Instead they were tricked into forced labor on a plantation in the Ivory Coast; they spend day after day living on little food and harvesting beans in the hot sun—dangerous, backbreaking work. With no hope of escape, all they can do is try their best to stay alive—until Khadija comes into their lives.

She’s the first girl who’s ever come to camp, and she’s a wild thing. She fights bravely every day, attempting escape again and again, reminding Amadou what it means to be free. But finally, the bosses break her, and what happens next to the brother he has always tried to protect almost breaks Amadou. The old impulse to run is suddenly awakened. The three band together as family and try just once more to escape.

Tara Sullivan, the award-winning author of the astounding Golden Boy, delivers another powerful, riveting, and moving tale of children fighting to make a difference and be counted. Inspired by true-to-life events happening right now, The Bitter Side of Sweet is an exquisitely written tour de force not to be missed.

Nora Lopez is seventeen during the infamous New York summer of 1977, when the city is besieged by arson, a massive blackout, and a serial killer named Son of Sam who shoots young women on the streets. Nora’s family life isn’t going so well either: her bullying brother, Hector, is growing more threatening by the day, her mother is helpless and falling behind on the rent, and her father calls only on holidays. All Nora wants is to turn eighteen and be on her own. And while there is a cute new guy who started working with her at the deli, is dating even worth the risk when the killer likes picking off couples who stay out too late?

Award-winning author Meg Medina transports us to a time when New York seemed balanced on a knife-edge, with tempers and temperatures running high, to share the story of a young woman who discovers that the greatest dangers are often closer than we like to admit — and the hardest to accept.

The Way I Used to Be by Amber Smith. 368 p. Margaret K. McElderry Books/ Simon & Schuster Publishing. March 22, 2016. 9781481449359. Publisher synopsis:In the tradition ofSpeak, this extraordinary debut novel shares the unforgettable story of a young woman as she struggles to find strength in the aftermath of an assault.

Eden was always good at being good. Starting high school didn’t change who she was. But the night her brother’s best friend rapes her, Eden’s world capsizes.

What was once simple, is now complex. What Eden once loved—who she once loved—she now hates. What she thought she knew to be true, is now lies. Nothing makes sense anymore, and she knows she’s supposed to tell someone what happened but she can’t. So she buries it instead. And she buries the way she used to be.

Told in four parts—freshman, sophomore, junior, and senior year—this provocative debut reveals the deep cuts of trauma. But it also demonstrates one young woman’s strength as she navigates the disappointment and unbearable pains of adolescence, of first love and first heartbreak, of friendships broken and rebuilt, and while learning to embrace a power of survival she never knew she had hidden within her heart.

The Story of You by Beth Kephart. 255 p. Chronicle Books, LLC. April 12, 2016. 9781452142845.Publisher synopsis:On Haven, a six-mile long, half-mile-wide stretch of barrier island, Mira Banul and her Year-Rounder friends have proudly risen to every challenge. But then a superstorm defies all predictions and devastates the island, upending all logic and stranding Mira's mother and brother on the mainland. Nothing will ever be the same. A stranger appears in the wreck of Mira's home. A friend obsessed with vanishing disappears. As the mysteries deepen, Mira must find the strength to carry on—to somehow hold her memories in place while learning to trust a radically reinvented future. Gripping and poetic, This Is the Story of You is about the beauty of nature and the power of family, about finding hope in the wake of tragedy and recovery in the face of overwhelming loss.

Dan Versus Nature by Don Calame. 378 p. Candlewick Press, April 12, 2016. 9780763670719.Publisher synopsis:From screenwriter Don Calame comes another outrageously funny and raunchy tale of teen boys whose plans go awry — this time, on a survivalist camping trip.Shy and scrawny Dan Weekes spends his time creating graphic novels inspired by his dream girl and looking out for his mom as she dates every man in the state of California. Then his mom drops a bomb: she and her latest beau, Hank, are engaged, and she’s sending her "two favorite men" on a survivalist camping trip to "bond." Determined to trick Hank into showing his true — flawed — colors on the trip, Dan and his nerdy germaphobe best friend, Charlie, prepare a series of increasingly gross and embarrassing pranks. But the boys hadn’t counted on a hot girl joining their trip or on getting separated from their wilderness guide—not to mention the humiliating injuries Dan suffers in the course of terrorizing his stepdad-to-be. With a man-hungry bear on their trail, no supplies, and a lot of unpleasant itching going on, can Dan see his plan through now that his very survival depends on Hank?

Every Exquisite Thing by Matthew Quick. 265 p. Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, May 10, 2016. 9780316379588. Publisher synopsis:Nanette O'Hare is an unassuming teen who has played the role of dutiful daughter, hardworking student, and star athlete for as long as she can remember. But when a beloved teacher gives her his worn copy ofThe Bugglegum Reaper—a mysterious, out-of-print cult classic—the rebel within Nanette awakens.

As she befriends the reclusive author, falls in love with a young but troubled poet, and attempts to insert her true self into the world with wild abandon, Nanette learns the hard way that rebellion sometimes comes at a high price.

A celebration of the self and the formidable power of story, Every Exquisite Thing is Matthew Quick at his finest.

Wayne Kovok lives in a world of After. After his uncle in the army was killed overseas. After Wayne and his mother survived a plane crash while coming back from the funeral. After he lost his voice.

Wayne has always used his love of facts to communicate ("Did you know more people die each year from shaking a vending machine than from shark attacks?"). Without his voice, how will he wow the prettiest girl in school? How will he stand up to his drill-sergeant grandfather? And how will he share his hopes with his deadbeat dad? It's not until Wayne loses his voice completely that he realizes how much he doesn't say.

Filled with Karen Harrington's signature heart and humor, Mayday tackles an unforgettable journey of family and friendship.

Read Me Like a Book by Liz Kessler. 297 p. Candlewick Press, June 14, 2016. 978763681319.Publisher synopsis:In her first novel for young adults,New York Timesbest-selling author Liz Kessler tells a story about finding a kindred spirit and becoming your true self.

Ashleigh Walker is a mediocre student with an assortment of friends, a sort-of boyfriend, and no plans for the future. Then a straight-from-college English teacher, Miss Murray, takes over Ash’s class and changes everything. Miss Murray smiles a lot. She shares poetry with curse words in it. She’s, well, cool. And she seems to really care about her students. About Ashleigh. For the first time, Ash feels an urge to try harder. To give something — someone — her best. Before she knows it, Ashleigh is in love. Intense, heart-racing, all-consuming first love. It’s strong enough to distract her from worrying about bad grades and her parents’ marriage troubles. But what will happen if Miss Murray finds out Ashleigh is in love with her?

About Me

Hi! I'm a school librarian at a 5 - 8th grade middle school in northern New Jersey. I read children's and YA literature nearly exclusively. It's that good. I try to read across ages and genres, so my blog has no "theme." I read and review fiction and non-fiction at all levels from picture books (one is never too old for picture books) up to young adult, including audiobooks. I can be reached at bkahnlovesbooks(at)gmail(dot)com regarding where to send submissions for review.